Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Mohsin bin Saqqaf al-Saqqaf (1882–1949) was a Yemeni novelist, journalist, and poet. His 1927 novel ''Fatat Qarout'' (Ar: فتاة قاروت) is regarded by some as the first novel ever written by a Yemeni writer.

Early life

Al-Saqqaf was born in 1882 in

Al-Shihr Al-Shihr (), also known as ash-Shir or simply Shihr, is a coastal town in Hadhramaut Governorate, Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen. Al-Shihr is a walled town located on a sandy beach. There is an anchorage but no docks; boats are used. The main export is ...

, a town in the

Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...

region, to a family known for their learning and knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence. At age four he moved to

Seiyun Seiyun (also transliterated as ''Saywun'', ''Sayoun'' or ''Say'un''; Hadhrami pronunciation: , Literary Arabic: ) is a city in the region and Governorate of Hadhramaut in Yemen. It is located in the middle of the Hadhramaut Valley, abo ...

Career

In 1907 he immigrated to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and studied in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. The following year, he moved to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, and settled in the city of

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

. He played a major role in journalism in the Yemeni diaspora, submitting articles to the Surabaya-based newspaper ''Al-Islah'' and founding a monthly newspaper in 1927 called ''The Higher Association'' (Ar: "الرابطة العلوية"). The newspaper focused on issues concerning the Hadhrami community in Indonesia. With other Yemeni expatriates, al-Saqqaf founded associations and schools in several Indonesian cities. Al-Saqqaf is best known for his 1927 novel ''Fatat Qarout'' (The Girl from

Garut Garut is a district and town in West Java of Indonesia, and the former capital of Garut Regency. It is located about 75 km to the southeast of the major city of Bandung. History The modern history of Garut started on 2 March 1811 when the B ...

), which criticizes some of the practices of Hadhrami immigrants in the East Indies, such as their integration into local

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

n society. According to Dr. Massoud Amshush, this was the first novel ever written by a Yemeni writer. However, others have argued that

Muhammad Ali Luqman Muhammad Ali Luqman (6 November 1898 – 24 March 1966) was a Yemeni lawyer, writer, and journalist. He was born in Aden, which was formerly, under British rule. After completing his education, he worked in school administration in Aden. However ...

's ''Saeed'' should be considered the first Yemeni novel, as it was published in

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

- unlike al-Saqqaf's work, which was written and published in Indonesia. His other works include ''Patience and Persistence'' (Ar: الصبر والثبات), ''The System of Islamic Etiquette for Girls'' (Ar: منظومات الأداب الإسلامية للبنات), and several collections of poetry. He is said to have written a second novel in addition to ''Fatat Qarout'', but there is little information about this.

Death

Al-Saqqaf died in 1949, while en route to Yemen aboard a ship from Indonesia.

References

{{Reflist 20th-century Yemeni novelists 1882 births 1949 deaths